Pain management for companion animals has advanced significantly but access to effective pain control remains uneven, leaving many animals with inadequately treated pain.
Effective pain management is among the most direct welfare interventions available in companion animal medicine, yet pain remains chronically undertreated in companion animals for multiple reasons: subtle signs of pain that owners miss, economic constraints on treatment, and the persistence of outdated views that animals do not experience pain in the way humans do. Osteoarthritis causes persistent low-grade pain that reduces activity, sleep quality, mood, and interest in social interaction. Owners frequently attribute these signs to normal aging rather than treatable pain. Multimodal pain management combining NSAIDs, physical therapy, environmental modification, and when appropriate newer targeted therapies can substantially improve quality of life. The welfare imperative is clear: every animal with detectable pain deserves access to effective management proportionate to severity.